


A Study in Chemistry

by ScarletDestiny



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya is awkward, Bond over caffeine, Chemistry, Coffee Shop, Coffee is lifeblood, F/M, Gendry solves things with mochas, General meet cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 10:34:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25349293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletDestiny/pseuds/ScarletDestiny
Summary: Gendry and Arya meet in a coffee shop one day and study chemistry together. Arya agrees to do homework for mochas.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 28
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter 1

Arya had never considered herself to be the romantic type. Certainly, she could hardly even stand to watch Hallmark movies with her mother and sister! The entire time, her mother and Sansa would be conversing about the film, making googly eyes at the handsome actors as the young couple fell in love on screen. Beside them, Arya would simply shake her head, wondering what it was about cheesy romance movies that made girls swoon. 

Romance novels were also quite out of the question. Once, on a long plane ride back from a family trip to England, Arya, having grown bored of staring out the window, had flipped open her Kindle and brought up a cheesy ten-cent romance. It turned out to be basically porn, which did not carry her interest. It didn’t help that the language used made her groan internally. Who would ever cover themselves in chocolate syrup? Really? 

So, no, Arya was not a secret romantic. 

When she caught the eyes of a tall stranger across the cafe where she was studying, her heart didn’t stop a beat, nor did she stare a moment too long. That would have spelled disaster. Her heart couldn’t take that type of pain. 

Quickly glancing back down, she tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear, pushing her earbuds back in to cover the motion. Tracing her finger along the line of her chemistry textbook, she tried to make herself look busy. Though she didn’t quite know why she should care.

She had recognized the boy, of course. They attended high school together, were even in a few of the same clases, though she couldn’t recall if they had said more than half a dozen words to each other over the years. 

Gendry, she recalled his name. A different sort of name, but it fit him. 

A soft grinding noise nearby caused her to lift her head. Immediately she wished she had pretended her music was too loud. 

“Is this seat taken?” Grey-blue eyes flickered down at her, asking a deeper question than his words. Clearly, he didn’t want to bother her, but was interested enough to bring himself to speak up. 

Silently, Arya shook her head. Taking out her earbuds, she laid them down on the wooden table. “Something you need?” Her voice sounded tight even to her. Sansa had been telling her for years that she needed to be more pleasant. More open. It was difficult for her, though, Arya never did make friends easily, preferring to keep to her own company. Less risk of hurt that way.

“Am I interrupting?” Gendry questioned, dropping down into the empty chair. “It’s just -” he gestured around vaguely at the full coffee house. “There isn’t really anywhere else to study, and…” here he glanced down, almost shyly. “I know you. Sort of.”

Arya took his words in stride, trying to keep up. “We’ve barely ever spoken,” she clarified. “But I guess there’s room,” she shrugged, trying to appear civil. So long as he was quiet, she could still get her studying done before having to run home for dinner. Tuesdays were family dinner night, and if she missed again due to her studies, she would only earn her mother’s disapproving stare. 

This wasn’t to say her family was particularly harsh, the opposite really. But since her father had accepted a promotion at his job, and her eldest brother had moved out to college, family dinners had become even more important. It was the only time they were all together. 

“I’m not the best at speaking to people,” Gendry admitted, pulling out his own laptop and chemistry textbook, setting them up on the table in a straight, easy-to-reach manner. “So it’s my fault we don’t know each other better.” Stretching out his hand, he grinned easily. “Gendry Waters,” he introduced. “And you are?”

Arya stared at his hand a moment, trying to decide if he was joking. “Arya Stark,” she finally said, clasping his hand. “Good to finally meet you.”

Maybe this study session wouldn’t be so terrible after all.

For a few moments, they sat in companionable silence, each trying to discern how the other studied best. Arya had left her earbuds out just in case words were spoken. She didn’t want to appear rude after all. 

Clearing his throat, Gendry made a disgruntled noise as he flipped through his textbook. “Do you understand this?” he suddenly asked, pushing his book over to her side of the table and pointing at a graph. “I’ve been trying to figure out this blasted problem for ages,” Arya rolled her eyes at the exaggeration, “but can’t get it.” 

Glancing at the offending graph, Arya noted with glee that it was, in fact, a problem she had solved earlier in the day. “You have to plug in the equation properly,” she pointed out. “If you look at it logically, it doesn’t make sense,” she offered, trying to make him feel less like a failure. 

As she explained, Gendry watched her, his left hand scribbling down notes on a legal pad he had pulled from his bag. “How do you understand all of this?” he asked when she finished detailing a particularly difficult portion. “I just look at this and see a jumble of letters and numbers.” 

Arya shrugged lightly, glancing away with a soft blush. “I like numbers,” she explained pathetically. “Guess they’ve just always made sense to me.” 

Gendry nodded as though it made perfect sense that Arya was some sort of mathematical and science genius, though she hardly had stated as much. “In that case, for saving me from hours of headache, I owe you a coffee.” Standing in a smooth movement, he picked up her empty mug. 

“Be right back,” he called over his shoulder as he walked up to the counter. Arya only shook her head, wondering how he would possibly guess she had been drinking a double-mocha cappuccino and not some black coffee. Likely she’d have to pretend to enjoy the black coffee. Isn’t that what all guys ordered? 

It took a few moments for Gendry to return, and he was all smiles. “One double-mocha for the lady,” he sat the mug down, a teasing grin alighting his face as Arya’s eyes went wide. 

“How did you -?” she stammered. 

“Lucky guess,” he replied with a small bow. “But no, I asked at the counter,” he jerked his thumb back to the barista. “Guess you come here enough that Brian knew your order. I just told him to give me your regular.” 

“You’re crazy,” Arya replied, taking a long sip of the piping hot mocha, not caring when the heat scalded her tongue. 

If Gendry truly understood how much time Arya spent at this particular coffee shop, he’d surely come up with ideas on how much she relied on caffeine just to function throughout the day. Not to mention how she got out of the house to get away from her family for a time. Oh she loved them dearly, but it was too much at times, being in a house with four other siblings. 

“So are you going to make this a thing?” she gestured between the coffee and their open textbooks. “I give you lessons in chemistry, and I get mochas in return?” Seemed like a fair trade to her. 

“Would you?” Gendry asked, suddenly serious and alert, all traces of teasing wiped from his expression. “Help me with chemistry, I mean. I’m not the greatest at it, and my dad, well,” he trailed off, gathering his thoughts, “I know I need the grades to get into a good school. Though I want to go to trade school,” he continued, as though he needed the words to be said before he lost his courage. “Mechanic, actually. It’s what I want to be. But still, the grades.” 

Breathing hard after his speech, Gendry continued to eye Arya as though she was his lifeline. 

Arya simply stared, wondering how so quickly they had gone from complete strangers to sharing stories about their families. “Yeah,” she muttered. Speaking up, she repeated herself, “I mean, yes, of course I’ll help. Just give me coffee,” she countered easily. 

“It’s a deal. I’ll buy you every double-mocha espresso in the world if you can get me to pass chemistry,” he offered his hand again. “Shake on it?” 

Ignoring his hand, Arya picked up her mug and clicked it against his. “Deal.” 

Let it never be said that Arya Stark was a romantic individual, but she could appreciate a moment of chemistry when it shoved coffee in her face. 


	2. Double Mocha Extreme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could coffee study sessions turn into proper coffee dates? Only time will tell if rumors around school bare any semblance to the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, fantastic fans!
> 
> Originally, I was not planning on making this into a multi-chapter fic, but I just love Gendrya too much to stop writing stories about them being adorable. Arya being obsessed with mochas and being as caffeinated as the energizer bunny is simply too funny a concept to ignore. So, there may be a third chapter in the works. :)
> 
> Stay well!

A few weeks had passed since Arya had last run into Gendry for one of their impromptu study sessions. It was a solid deal: explaining chemistry and mathematics in exchange for mochas. 

At school, their paths hardly ever crossed except for chemistry class. They moved in different circles, which suited Arya just fine. Did she occasionally write notes and slip them into his locker? Perhaps. If only to remind him that she needed to be caffeinated in order to function. 

_Chemicals in my blood have been replaced with coffee._

_Solve for x. It’s a mocha._

_Psst. This is your conscious speaking: I need caffeine._

Whenever Arya was bored during math class, which happened almost every day (except for the days when Steven, an overly arrogant boy in her class, decided to try and teach the class by talking over Mr. Simmons), she found herself scribbling these notes to Gendry, imagining him rolling his eyes when he opened his locker to find more notes. 

He never complained about the notes, though. Just flipped the paper over, scrawled a quick message on the back, and stuck it to her backpack when they were in chemistry class together. Probably thought he was being sneaky about it, too, as he only ever snuck the notes back when her head was turned. Silly boy. 

_That’s dangerous! Should really get that checked out._

_Mocha isn’t a mathematical term last time I checked._

_Why is my consciousness a hyper girl?_

Sansa wouldn’t leave her alone about the note passing, insisting it was ‘too cute’ to be friendly ribbing and was an indication that Arya and Gendry were _clearly_ crushing on one another. As if. Arya scoffed, recalling the conversation she’d had with Sansa just that morning. Just because Sansa always had her mind on relationships, didn’t mean Arya saw all guys as potential boyfriends. 

Annoyingly, Sansa had simply laughed, tossing her braid behind her head as she shook her head. As though Arya was nothing but a naive little child. 

“You really think those little ‘study sessions’ of yours aren’t dates?” Sansa flashed her sister a sympathetic grin, “It’s the oldest date setting in the book!” 

Huffing, Arya sank back into her seat.

All in all, Arya decided her sister was far too invested in a relationship that did not even exist. Nor would it ever. She valued her independence far too much to tie herself to someone like Gendry, or any boy for that matter. No, after watching Sansa go through relationship after relationship where guys who seemed sweet and caring at first turned into maniac bullies...no, Arya was certainly not going to fall for anyone. 

And so, in an effort to prove her sister wrong, Arya had successfully avoided Gendry for the past couple of weeks, coming up with excuses when he asked her to tutor him. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from slipping snide notes into his locker every few days. Had to keep him on his toes. 

***

Directly after the school bell rang signaling the end of the day, Arya tossed her backpack over her shoulder and began walking down the street toward Cafe Mocha. Getting there as quickly as possible was imperative, else some stranger might take her seat, leaving Arya feeling rather displaced. 

Pushing open the glass-paned door, Arya stepped across the threshold, eying her regular seat where a smug middle-schooler sat sipping what looked like green mush in a plastic cup. Who came to a coffee shop and got a kale smoothie? Insanity. 

Annoyance bubbled up within her, knowing she would have to settle for a lesser seat today. Still, she managed to scrounge up a measure of pleasantness for the barista behind the counter. She’d witnessed far too many patrons being rude to the workers to ever take her own frustrations out on them. 

Gripping her ceramic mug, Arya lifted the drink and inhaled the sweet scents. Nothing like the combined smell of cacao, cinnamon, and whipped cream to lift her spirits. 

“I’ll never understand how you manage to drink multiple of those in a day,” Gendry’s voice sounded behind her. “Are you immune to the effects of sugar?” He mused, a chuckle escaping his lips. 

Arya sighed, turning to face her study partner. “Did you follow me?”

Gendry quirked an eyebrow. “You make it sound like you’re difficult to track down. You come down here every day after school,” he responded, apparently more aware of her life schedule than Arya had thought. 

“It’s not exactly a secret,” he shrugged, seeing her eyes narrow. “Besides, I thought we could study for awhile.” 

Dozens of excuses sprung to mind, easy ways to tell Gendry to go away without sounding entirely rude. “Only if you don’t make fun of my love affair with mochas,” she said instead, surprising herself. 

“It’s the greatest love story ever told,” he quipped, sitting down at an open booth. “So much better than _Twilight._ ” It was an old joke, admittedly, but he had always considered himself an old soul, so telling outdated jokes was right in his skill set.

Arya shook her head, taking a large gulp of her scalding mocha. “You bet your sparkly vampires it is a better love story.” Smirking, Arya plopped her chemistry textbook down on the table. “Fine, you can buy me another mocha while we study.”

He should have expected that response. Still, it seemed Arya was the type of girl who always wanted to keep everyone guessing. She was a mystery. An interesting one, to be sure.

Gendry was of half a mind that Arya was teasing him, but she had offered to study with him again so perhaps she simply enjoyed remaining unpredictable. “Were you avoiding me?” he questioned, pulling out his notebook, one of Arya’s sticky notes attached to the front cover. 

Arya cocked her head to the side, innocently sipping her drink. “Whatever would make you think that?” 

Gendry blinked. He never could understand how Arya managed to pull off acting completely innocent when he knew, had seen evidence, that she was scrappy, a force to be reckoned with. “Embarrassed to be seen tutoring me? Or do you just like keeping your secrets?” His cheeks flushed red from shame. Was he not good enough to be seen with her?

Arya was silent a moment, flipping through her textbook until she found the correct chapter. “My sister thinks we’re dating,” she muttered, not quite looking Gendry in the eye. “I keep telling her it’s nothing like that,” Arya added defensively. 

“Your sister thinks we’re dating?” That was a surprise. He thought it was clear that he and Arya were just friends. Though...a rumor that they were dating would certainly explain the knowing looks his guy friends kept sending him whenever he found notes from Arya in his locker. 

Passing messages, that was just something friends did. So was supplying a friend’s unhealthy coffee habits. 

“Don’t act so offended,” Arya retorted. “You look about ready to fall over.” 

Was his surprise so evident? Gendry cleared his throat. “I’m not offended,” he clarified. “Just...surprised. I didn’t realize anyone thought we were an item.” 

Shoving the textbook across the table with a shove, Arya pointed out the chapter they were supposed to be working on, tapping on the page with the edge of her pen. “We’re not ‘an item’,” she mimicked his tone. “I only date coffee.” 

“So you’re exclusive?” Gendry let out a breath, grateful that the tense air between them had evaporated slightly. 

“Entirely,” Arya confirmed with a nod. 

In a lecturing tone, Arya began explaining again what was covered in chemistry class this past week. Her simpler terms and hands-on activities for remembering equations and formulas helped him better understand the material. Still, after their conversation, he was finding it difficult to pay attention, catching himself watching her out of the corner of his eye: how the fluorescent lights gave her brunette hair amber highlights; how she bit her lip in concentration as she worked; how, when she caught him staring, looked like she’d smack him. 

Embarrassed at being caught, he glanced down, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks. “Sorry,” he mumbled, attempting to force himself to concentrate. 

Arya lifted her eyes, studying him for a long time. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something about Gendry intrigued her, if she was being honest with herself. He was genuine. Sincere. But wasn’t afraid to join her in a battle of wits. Not many people, once they learned how stubborn she could be, cared to stick around to be a close friend. Apparently she was ‘too much to handle’, as she’d be told many times.

Acquaintances? Had plenty of those. True friends? Outside of her family, she never had thought she needed one. 

Yet, here was Gendry, who hadn’t tired of her snarky notes, who hadn’t thought she was too impatient when she taught him, who hadn’t even called her ‘weird’ or ‘quirky’, though she knew those words defined her perfectly. He even bought her mochas, for damn sake.

“Why are you apologizing?” she questioned, poking him with her pen. “Not that you don’t look like a lost puppy when you’re embarrassed,” she added, teasingly. 

“A lost puppy?”, he echoed. “That’s what I look like?” He’d never seen himself in the mirror when embarrassed and so could hardly dispute her assertion. 

Arya nodded, “Trust me, exactly like a puppy.” 

“Are you trying to insult me, or compliment me?” It seemed a fair question under the circumstances. 

“Who says it isn’t both?” A snarky reply, he should have expected as much by now. 

Gendry paused, a smile forming on his lips. “You know,” he shook his head, laughing, “this back and forth banter is probably why your sister thinks we’re dating.” 

A sharp rap on his knuckles forced him to look down, rubbing his injured hand. “Did you just smack me with your pen?” 

“I only date my mochas,” Arya declared with finality. 

“It’s a good thing I’m the one buying you all of your mochas then,” Gendry grinned, feeling like this could be the beginning of a great friendship.


	3. The Boyfriend Equation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Winter Formal Dance quickly approaching, Arya and Sansa go dress shopping and discuss a certain potential boyfriend.

To the eternal surprise of everyone who met her, Arya Stark loved attending dances. Granted, not for the reasons most young women her age enjoyed dances: the sparkling gowns, elaborate hairstyles, extravagant make-up, and an over-hyped night of swaying with a partner you sort-of liked, all the while wondering if you should have picked out a different dress. 

Though she’d deny it, her favorite part of attending dances wasn’t even making sarcastic comments about everyone’s awkward dance moves. Most students did resemble seaweed swaying underwater. Thank all the stars that this year’s theme wasn’t ‘under the sea’! There would have been too many jokes and not enough time. 

No, Arya’s favorite part of going to dances was spending time with her friends. And yes, sometimes that involved jokingly making fun of others to lighten the tension. Dances were like parties: filled with a bunch of teenagers who wanted to see how far they could push the limits. Only, dances included peering out the side of your eye, awkwardly shuffling around, trying to determine if a chaperone was watching, expression stern and disapproving. As if they never did anything remotely rebellious as a teenager. 

“Just promise me you aren’t going to try on every dress in the store,” Arya muttered as the bell over the door jingled, alerting the storeworkers to the presence of customers. 

Sansa sighed, a bit overdramatically in Arya’s opinion. “Please, Arya. You know I can’t make an informed decision without sampling a proper amount of gowns. This is my senior year!” She cried, rushing over to a mannequin donning an elegant dress, pale blue as the sky, decorated along the hem and neckline with small pearls. 

The color would suit her sister, Arya decided, though she was a bit worried what the price tag would read. “Why don’t we go look in the back?” She suggested, gently trying to remind her sister that spending exorbitant amounts of money on a couple of winter formal dresses would cause their father’s brow to crease in exasperation. 

With one last, parting touch of the silk gown, Sansa nodded, following Arya away from the tempting mannequin. Neither of them wanted to be a source of financial stress.

Browsing through rack after rack of fancy party dresses, Arya’s eyes began to blur, the colors mixing together. She blinked. No, the mixture of colors was due to a rather ostentatious dress: black stripes ran horizontally across the bodice, and light grey stripes dove vertically down the skirt. Ombre red to light orange, the main color-scheme of the dress was fairly pleasing to the eye. The lace, cupped sleeves and sweetheart neckline finished off the look.

In part simply to make her sister’s eyes go wide upon seeing the unique full-length ballgown, and in part because she actually liked the strange design, Arya plucked the dress off the rack and stepped into the changing room, swinging the door closed.

After a few moments of attempting to locate the zipper, then refastening it once again, Arya took a look at herself in the long mirror hanging on the back of the door. “Not too bad,” she commented, swishing the long skirt so the soft fabric wrapped around her ankles. Likely, she’d stand out in a crowd wearing such a dress, if only because it was so different. 

Cracking open the door, she stepped out, casually calling for her sister. “What do you think?” she asked, spinning around so Sansa could see the full dress. 

Coming out of her own changing room, a few dresses draped over her arm, Sansa stopped to stare, wide-eyed. “You’re joking, right?” 

“No, why?” Sure, at first it had started as a joke, but the more Arya swished the skirt, the more she realized it was still easy to walk, not too constricting, the more she saw how her sister disapproved - the more she came to like the dress.

“You can’t possibly wear that to a dance!” Sansa tutted, replacing her gowns on the return rack. “What is Gendry going to think?”

Now it was Arya’s turn to gape, though she quickly recovered, shutting her mouth and standing straighter. “Who cares what he thinks?” she asked dismissively. “It’s not like we’re going together.” 

Flicking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Sansa stood, hands on hips. “You spend three, four nights a week with that boy. ‘Tutoring’,” she mocked, adding finger-quotations for maximum effect. “Everyone in school is talking about it. If you don’t go together, it’ll be the biggest disappointment of the year.”

“Do you really think anyone at school cares that much about my dating life?” Arya replied with a scoff. “Besides, we are  _ just friends _ .” 

Seeing that her sister was not about to let this go, Arya quickly excused herself to go change back into her clothes. The last thing she wanted to do was have another debate about her relationship with Gendry, with Sansa, in the middle of a store. 

Carefully placing the gown back on its hanger, Arya glared at it for a moment, as if it had all the answers. It wasn’t fair, how everyone kept sticking their noses into her business. What was wrong with being friends with a guy? 

Sure, he was attractive, in a scruffy sort of way. He never seemed to notice how tousled his hair looked. And his eyes...Well, he always paid such complete attention when she was explaining a mathematical concept. It was endearing. Or it would be, if she thought of him that way at all.

No, she would never let himself dwell on how excited she felt each morning walking to her locker, wondering what letter or little present he had left for her. Nor would she consider how thoughtful he had been when she was sick the other week, bringing a pack of hot chocolate mix and her favorite peanut butter cookies to her house. 

To stop and think of her friend...it left her confused, filled with a mixture of emotions she didn’t know how to work out. Besides, the winter formal was only two weeks away - surely Gendry already had a date. 

Realizing she had spent too long deliberating in the dressing room, Arya took the gown and left the room, heading up to the check-out counter. Finding Sansa waiting by the door, no bag in hand, Arya sighed: it was going to be a long day of dress shopping and relationship advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I'm so sorry for leaving it at a cliff hanger this week, but I'm excited to post the next chapter - which will be longer. Hopefully it'll be up within a few days!
> 
> Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I love reading all of your comments - they truly make my day and motivate me to continue writing.


	4. Exceed My Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time! The Winter Formal has finally arrived. As Arya prepares for the dance, a familiar figure strides out of the cold evening.

Brushing her long hair back from her face, Arya frowned in mirror, annoyed that her hair was refusing to cooperate. For the past hour, she had been desperately trying different hairdos: first was a knotted braid crossing the top of her head; then a simple ponytail; next she tried a few styles when her hair was simply swept up with a few hairclips. Nothing felt right.

Sighing, Arya began the process of removing bobbypins. Why she even cared so much about her hair...It wasn’t like she had a date for the winter formal. 

“Arya - we have to get going!” Sansa yelled from the hallway, knocking on her door loudly. 

“I’ll be down in a minute!” She yelled back, smoothing down the skirt of her dress. Family pictures could surely wait another few minutes while she found something to do with her hair. 

It was rare for Arya to put such careful effort into her looks; sure, like most girls, she cared how she looked and wanted to make a good first impression, but spending hours sitting in front of a vanity, agonizing over every little detail was hardly how she normally acted. There had to be a reason, she knew, for the humming in the back of her mind, urging her forward. A flash of blue eyes, crinkled in laughter; a secret smile just for her; notes passed through locker doors. 

Pushing aside the thoughts, Arya tugged sharply on her hair, forcing herself to focus on something else besides Gendry. He was her friend! Nothing more.

“Arya!” Sansa’s voice carried up the steps, sounding desperate in its urgency.

Groaning in resignation, Arya twisted her hair into a braid, draping it over her shoulder. It wasn’t as elegant as she had envisioned but it would have to do. Grabbing her black leather jacket off her bed, she hurried down the stairs, coming to the landing just as the doorbell rang. 

Of course Sansa’s date arrived on time. 

“I’m here, I’m here,” she panted, shoving a few errant strands of hair behind her ears in a last-ditch attempt to appear completely put together. 

Sansa cast her a quick glance, looking over her outfit and hair, before stepping lightly over to the oak door, pulling it open. Arya imagined her sister’s eyes lit up in happiness upon seeing her boyfriend Theon. They had been dating for almost two years now, with Theon coming over for weekly dinners. Why they all had to group together in the entranceway just to greet him tonight, Arya had no clue, except her mother insisted on it.

The second the door opened, Catelyn was there, camera in hand, instructing Sansa and Theon on where to stand and how to smile. Arya quickly moved out of the way, sliding over to the still-open door, hoping to make a quick escape outside to get some fresh air. Catching her father’s eye, she mimed her intentions, knowing he would cover for her. 

It was a good thing Theon had come early, after all, as Catelyn would likely be taking photos for a good half hour if she was allowed. Arya knew her photo-op would come, but a couple was much more interesting to capture than a single woman. 

Stepping backwards out the door in order to gauge how preoccupied her mother was, Arya stumbled, the heel of her shoe catching on the threshold. Letting out a gasp as she began to fall backwards, her fall was cut short by a pair of strong arms gripping her shoulders. 

Cursing her own stupidity at not watching her footing, Arya freed herself from her rescuer’s grasp. “Gendry?” She managed to force the word out, even as she felt frozen in place. “You’re dressed up,” she commented, thinking of nothing better to say. 

Having foregone his usual jeans and flannel, Gendry managed to pull off a rather dapper figure, fit as he was into a suit that was only a little small around his shoulders. “You look nice,” he grinned, gesturing at her outfit. “You sure you can walk in those shoes, though?” 

Reflexively, Arya smacked him lightly on the arm. “Of course I can. I was trying to avoid the paparazzi.” Leaning to the side so Gendry could see past her into the house, Arya motioned to the photo-shoot currently taking place on their winding staircase. 

“I see,” he nodded sagely, taking in the whole scene with a twinkle in his eye. Offering her his arm, he turned his attention back to Arya. “Shall we get out of here, then, milady?” 

Hands on hips, Arya regarded her friend cautiously. “I never agreed to go to the dance with you.” Going alone wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. 

Gendry blinked, a bit surprised by her reaction, if only for a moment. “You never gave me a chance to ask. Only said that I had to ace the next chemistry test.” Sticking his hand into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a few folded up pieces of paper. “See? Got an A. All thanks to you.” 

Plucking the papers from his hand, Arya shuffled through them, noting the large red A on the front page. “So you did,” she relented. Then, glancing back at her friend, “Where’s my mocha?” 

Gendry laughed, a bright sound that caused Arya’s heart to warm. “Come to the dance with me,” he urged. “And we’ll leave early to get pancakes and mochas. My treat.” 

Cocking her head to the side, Arya considered his offer. It would be more fun to go to the dance with someone, if only to not be a lone wallflower. All of her school friends had found dates, leaving her to fend for herself. Only fair she did likewise. 

“Fine,” she consented, flicking her braid behind her back. “But only if we leave right now, before anyone notices.” 

The last thing this evening needed was her family making a big deal about a non-date date. 

Stretching out her hand, she reached out for Gendry, entwining their fingers together. The feeling was nice, skin pressed against skin, heartbeat thudding fiercely in her ears. As she expected, his hands were coarse from hard work; she found she hardly minded. 

His determination to keep pressing on no matter what life threw at him was one reason Arya liked him. As a friend, she stubbornly told herself.   
Ah, but there he was, standing tall, outline enlightened by the dim sconces on either side of the doorway. Blue eyes twinkled with understanding; his self-satisfied grin shining just for her. Ah, fuck, she was falling for him.

Sansa would never let her hear the end of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Readers, 
> 
> So sorry it took me awhile to update. Life has a habit of getting in the way of creative endeavors. 
> 
> One more chapter to go! Thank you for sticking with this story.


End file.
